


In the Thick of It

by Brumeier



Series: Learning the Ropes [1]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alien Invasion, First Meetings, Gen, Linguistics, Miscommunication, POV Outsider, SGA Secret Santa Fic Exchange, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 23:37:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8820847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: Atlantis has a way of welcoming newbies with a trial by fire, and Nora is no different. Does she have what it takes to help save the day?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gelbes_gilatier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gelbes_gilatier/gifts).



> This Secret Santa fic is for [gelbes_gilatier](http://archiveofourown.org/users/gelbes_gilatier/pseuds/gelbes_gilatier), who specifically asked that there be no McShep. Challenge! ::grins:: But I went with the following prompts: _Gen (with a hint of femmeslash, which was also requested), secondary female characters, mission fic, slice of life, outside POV, and OC_. I hope you like it! Merry Christmas!
> 
> All the thanks to my beta and hand-holder, [nagi_schwarz](http://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz). You're the best!

**1988 – Nana Mac’s House**

“You watch this, baby girl. This right here is important.”

Nora nodded. She was curled up in Nana’s lap, Aunt Sally’s quilt thrown over both of them.

“You see her? She’s the only woman, but those men there, they respect her. She has an important job. She’s part of the team.” Nana pointed. “She’s smart, she’s beautiful, and she can fight. The color of her skin don’t matter. That’s the future, baby girl. Your future.”

“Is she in space?” Nora asked. Her Nana loved space shows.

“That part don’t matter. What _does_ matter is you having the chance to be like her. I couldn’t do it, and your poor mama never got the chance, but you can. You’ll make your Nana proud.”

Nora always wanted to make her Nana proud. So she watched the lady in the red dress and promised that she’d do everything her mama couldn’t.

**2008 – On Board the Daedalus**

_Dr. Hawkins to the Bridge. Dr. Hawkins to the Bridge._

The klaxons wailed, sounding General Quarters, and Nora moved through the passageway as quickly as she could, dodging around everyone else who was heading with purpose to their duty stations.

The _Daedalus_ had its own highly trained communications staff, so Nora was confused about the call. She was just a passenger, on her way to Atlantis where she’d be assuming her new duties. Sgt. Campbell, who’d transferred back Earthside because he was getting married and whose position Nora was taking over, had warned her that things could get intense. He wasn’t kidding.

The bulkhead door to the Bridge was sealed, but Captain McGuire was waiting for her. He punched in his code and ushered her inside as soon as the door opened.

“Colonel Caldwell, I have Dr. Hawkins.”

“Dr. Hawkins.” Caldwell was an imposing man, with a stern face and solid build. Nora had only met him once, when all the newbies were given a tour of the ship. “We have a situation. Lt. Stuart, play the message.”

_Mayday. Mayday. Clearance code alpha-tango-niner-niner-three. Atlantis has been infiltrated by unknown hostiles. Requesting assistance._

“Are we still in hyperspace?” Nora asked. “Because if we are, we shouldn’t have been able to receive that message.”

“We’re less than an hour from our exit window,” Lt. Stuart replied, never looking away from his monitor. “I won’t be able to get any readings on Atlantis or hostile ships that may be in the area until we’re out.”

“Score another one for Dr. McKay,” Caldwell said wryly. “Dr. Hawkins, I hope you can help us.”

“I’m not sure what I can –”

“There was more to the message,” Lt. Stuart interrupted. “Audio of the aliens. They’re speaking a language I’m not familiar with, and we don’t have a dedicated linguist on board.”

“I understand you’re the SGC’s new wunderkind.” Caldwell gave Nora a once-over that made her uncomfortable.

What did he see when he looked at her? A nervous kid, probably. Nora knew she looked younger than twenty-four, something Aunt Sally told her she’d be thankful for someday. She certainly wasn’t thankful for it at the moment. It was hard enough to get people to take her seriously.

“I’ll need to listen to the full message, on headphones if you have them,” Nora said, trying to exude competence even though her stomach was in knots. “Where do you want me?”

Caldwell gave her a nod, and Lt. Stuart finally looked at Nora. His eyes widened momentarily, and then he gestured to the empty seat beside him at the console. Someone gave Nora a set of headphones and she got to work.

*o*o*o*

Nora consulted her data pad. She’d ruled out every known language, and most of the dead ones, but she kept coming back to Ancient. The aliens weren’t speaking it, but there was a cadence to their words that was familiar.

“I think it might be ancient Ancient,” she said.

“You want to run that by me again?” Lt. Stuart asked.

“I think it’s a rudimentary form of Ancient.” Nora tweaked her translation code. “At its base it’s very similar to the language we’ve become familiar with. It could be that the Ancients were seeding whatever part of the galaxy the aliens come from, but then abandoned what they were doing there. Their language could have adapted over time, creating an offshoot dialect.”

It was a situation that the SGC hadn’t come across very often, at least not according to the class Nora had taken during her orientation period. Particularly in the Pegasus galaxy where there was so much Gate travel by the native populations. They still didn’t understand exactly how moving through the wormholes facilitated automatic translation, but it was clear that the aliens who’d come to Atlantis had never gone through a Gate.

“So can you translate what they’re saying?” Colonel Caldwell was suddenly looming behind Nora and she had to fight the urge to draw her shoulders up defensively.

“I’m running it through the program now. It won’t be a perfect, word for word translation, though.”

“That was fast,” Caldwell said. “You really are as smart as they said.”

Nora didn’t respond to the backhanded compliment. She was used to having to convince people that she could do her job quickly and efficiently, though she’d hoped that things would be different with the SGC.

“We’re five minutes from the exit window, Sir,” Lt. Bishop called out.

The data pad beeped, and Nora took a deep breath. Time to see if her program had worked.

“Here’s what we have.” She played the recording.

_Why fight? Lanteans help not. How make we understand?_

“Colonel Caldwell, sir, I don’t think the aliens have hostile intentions.” Nora replayed the message, listening to inflection and intonation. “I think this is a cultural misunderstanding due to the lack of a common language.”

“I’m not ruling anything out until we have a better understanding of the situation, Doctor.” Caldwell was back to sounding disapproving. He resumed his seat in the captain’s chair. “As soon as we exit hyperspace I want shields up and weapons armed.”

Nora bit back the argument she wanted to make about going in guns blazing. Caldwell was the one with practical experience, and she had to respect that he knew what he was doing. Then again, _she_ knew what she was doing, too.

“Colonel? As soon as I’m able, I’d like to beam down to Atlantis. I can upload the translation software, and then we can understand the aliens and they can understand us.”

Caldwell gave her an assessing look, and then nodded. “How soon can you be ready?”

“Five minutes. Maybe ten.”

“What do you need?” Lt. Stuart asked.

“A control crystal,” Nora replied. _And not to screw this up._

**2008 – Atlantis Gate Room**

Being transported via Asgard beam was different than going through the Gate. Instead of a tugging sensation, Nora’s skin was tingling as if thousands of ants were moving around on her. She didn’t like it at all.

Luckily she and Lt. Cobb were able to get beamed directly into the Gate room. The Lanteans, as the expedition members reportedly preferred to be called, had managed to keep the aliens away from the Stargate; it was the only one that could dial Earth, as far as anyone knew.

Nora didn't have any time to admire the stained glass or the streamlined Ancient architecture, not when the aliens were literally at the door; she could hear what sounded like blasters being fired, and her heart gave a little start. _Just like Star Trek!_ There were about thirty people in the Gate Room, most of them armed military.

“Who the hell are you?” snapped a man wearing a black uniform. He had thinning brown hair and a crooked mouth that was pulled down in a frown. “They were supposed to send us help.”

“I’m Dr. Hawkins?”

“Is that a question? How old are you, twelve?”

Colonel Sheppard appeared at the top of the stairs. Nora recognized him from a picture she’d seen in one of the mission reports, when he’d been infected with the Wraith retrovirus. He didn’t have the appearance of a military leader, not like Caldwell. Maybe it was the hair, or the posture, or the unlaced boots.

“Rodney, be nice. Do I have to remind you what you were doing at twelve?”

Of course. Dr. McKay. The stories about him were legendary at the SGC, and he was just as intimidating in person. But Nora had a job to do, and she was darn well going to do it.

“Dr. McKay. I need to install this translation software.” She pulled out the control crystal.

“Up here!” a woman called, waving from behind one of the Ancient consoles.

“You can’t just –” Dr. McKay started to say.

“Sir, they’re almost through the door!” one of the female Marines shouted.

“If you’ve got something up your sleeve, McKay, now would be the time.” Colonel Sheppard passed Nora on the stairs, each running in the opposite direction. “Teldy, hold position!”

The woman who’d called for Nora already had the central console’s control panel opened. “Amelia,” she said by way of introduction. 

“Nora.” She barely glanced at the woman as she squatted down, too focused on the task at hand.

“I hope this works, Nora. What do you need from me?”

“Um, some light?”

Seconds later Amelia had a penlight shining inside the control panel, and Nora got to work. She’d have to reroute a couple of systems to make room for the translation software.

“Did you see their ship?” Amelia asked in hushed tones while Nora worked. “It doesn’t register as much more than a blob on the sensors.”

“It looked like a Romulan ship after the Reavers got hold of it,” Nora replied absently. She’d seen it just before she and Lt. Cobb were transported to Atlantis. It was a hulking thing, more than a match for the _Daedalus_ in size. 

Amelia snorted. “How did I know you’d be a scifi geek? You’ll fit right in around here.”

Nora repositioned two of the control crystals, and then slotted hers into place. She sprang back up to her feet, and input the command to run the program, silently urging the upload to happen faster.

“McKay, get all the civilians to the conference room!” Colonel Sheppard bellowed. “Amelia, is the Gate locked down?”

“Locked down and inaccessible, Sir. They won’t be able to use it.”

“Almost there. Come on. Come on,” Nora said to herself. And then the program was ready to go. “How do I access the citywide PA system?” 

“Here.” Amelia pressed a button and handed Nora an Earth-issued mic.

Nora stared at it, suddenly at a loss. “What do I say?”

“Well, I wouldn’t mention Reavers,” Amelia replied.

“Is it ready?” Dr. McKay appeared on the other side of the console. His face was pinched and pale. “We’re out of time.”

“Here goes nothing.” Nora took a deep breath and spoke into the mic. “Alien visitors to Atlantis, please cease your hostilities. We are ready and able to talk with you.”

Her voice over the PA was overlaid with the ancient Ancient words. Almost instantly, the blaster sounds ceased.

“Amelia, can we set up the conference room to use the PA system? But without broadcasting to the rest of the city?”

“It’s not impossible,” Dr. McKay said before Amelia had the chance. “Zelenka! Where are you? We have work to do!”

Nora exchanged an amused look with Amelia, and whoa. She was gorgeous. Nora fumbled the mic, almost dropping it, and felt her cheeks heat.

“Alien visitors, please give us a moment to get our translation program set up. We promise not to harm you, and hope you will do the same.”

“You think they came in peace?” Amelia asked. She didn’t sound like she believed it.

“Well, I don’t think their plan was to attack. They’re just responding to us responding to them.”

“I hope you’re right.” 

“So do I,” Nora replied honestly.

*o*o*o*

As it turned out, the Ca’gall were cephalopodan creatures, a bit smaller in size than the average human, that had traveled from the far reaches of the Pegasus galaxy to ask for Dr. McKay’s assistance. Apparently word of his near-mystical ability to work with Ancient tech had gotten back to them, and they were in dire need of his assistance in repairing an Ancient system that was vital to their continued existence.

Dr. McKay had been pretty smug about that until he’d realized he’d have to physically go to their planet. Luckily, he and his team could Gate travel there. The Ca’gall didn’t use the Stargates because of a moral, or perhaps spiritual, conflict with being broken down to their core elements and then reassembled.

Nora spent her first week on Atlantis helping design and fabricate portable translators so that AR-1 would be able to talk to the natives, and vice versa. The Ca’gall had been pretty understanding about the lack of communication, and promised to share their tech – particularly how they were able to breach the city’s shields – with the Lanteans. 

“You’re a real hero,” Amelia said. She joined Nora out on the Mess-adjacent balcony. “You know they’re going to make you the poster girl for the Harriman Scholarship.”

“Is everyone’s first day so crazy?” Nora deflected. She didn’t like to brag about her accomplishments, or how young she’d been when she achieved them. She wanted to be judged on her work alone.

“Remind me to tell you about the day I abseiled six floors with Colonel Sheppard during a lockdown. You’re not really a Lantean unless you’ve had a trial by fire.” Amelia held out a chocolate cupcake. “Consider this your official welcome to the team.”

Nora accepted it with a grin. “Thanks. I think.”

“So, we’re having a girl’s night tonight, if you’re interested.” Amelia leaned on the balcony railing. “Some poker, maybe a movie. It’s a good way to get to know the gossip.”

It would probably be a good way to get to know Amelia, too. As far as Nora could tell, she wasn’t seeing anyone. Which seemed unbelievable. 

“Sounds like fun.” 

Nora looked out at the city spires and the Lantean sea, and nodded. She’d made the right decision, signing up with the SGC and taking the Atlantis position. She felt like she could do a lot of good there. Be the person her Nana had always told her she could be.

“I think I’m gonna like it here.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** I cannot tell a lie! This was definitely a challenge. Any time I write in SGA but don’t write McShep it’s so much harder. ::grins:: Special thanks to [Wrathchilde](http://archiveofourown.org/users/WrathChilde/pseuds/WrathChilde) and [Taste_is_Sweet](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_is_Sweet/pseuds/Taste_is_Sweet) for their plotty assistance!
> 
> Please be advised that I know nothing about linguistics. Seriously. Nothing.


End file.
